More Than a Kingdom to Conquer
by Mattycollns13
Summary: After Charlotte's last match against Nia, Sami has never seen her look more lost or sad. He's her boyfriend, he should be able to comfort her.


Sami had seen a lot in his lifetime. He had traveled the world as an Indy wrestler, though no one could tell it was him under that Generico mask thanks to his clever ruse. He had seen the appointment of a president that made him violently ill to look at, and he'd seen the kindest people ever come together for a common goal. He'd seen good and bad, but he'd never seen something as heartbreaking as his girlfriend's face when she needed help getting to the back after her loss to Nia Jax.

He and Charlotte usually let each other handle their own business when it came to what happens in the ring, but they would intervene for each other backstage when it applied to the situation. Sami could care less about this agreement right now. He sprinted down to gorilla and waited with twitching fingers for Charlotte to come back through the curtain.

As soon as it was pushed back, Sami ducked under her other arm and took her weight, directing them towards the trainer's room, and he knew it was bad, when Charlotte didn't even look at him or complain about his steering to her least favorite place in any arena. He got her through the door, the ref having been left behind in his haste to check on her. He sat her on the table, and didn't leave her side or stop clutching her hand while the doctor ran the tests he needed to. Charlotte answered in quiet direct answers, not looking the doctor or Sami in the eyes.

It was five minutes after the doctor had been satisfied and left when Sami couldn't hold his tongue anymore. "Charlotte-" It was only then that his stupid brain caught up with him and realized he didn't really know what to say. Charlotte had never been beaten this badly, in a match or in the physical sense. It was always him getting beaten up and her soothing him or picking him back up. He didn't know if he could do it as good as she could, but he knew that he had to try because, dammit, he loved this woman and she deserved the best.

She took his silence and ducked her head down further. "It's okay. I understand. No one wants a loser."

He frowned, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Aren't you dumping me? I'm not the champion anymore, nor am I the most dominant woman in the division. I'm a loser. A peasant." She spit the last word out, her hand tightening into fists. Her knuckles were so white that Sami was surprised she hadn't cut open her palms.

"Are you insane? Of course I'm not dumping you! I love you, why the hell would I do something stupid like that? Because you lost? Charlotte, I lose all the time, and you don't dump me. You've lost before and it wasn't the end of the world. Losing helps us get better and learn from our mistakes. Am I worried about you? Absolutely. But am I only dating you because you perform at a certain level? Absolutely not."

Charlotte bit her lip, letting a single tear leak down her cheek. "I- Thank you. I don't know what got into me. This loss, it felt… different, I guess. Plus, my performance is always how I was treated before. In my past marriages… my parents with my grades or sports… I'm not used to someone just caring about me, for me."

Sami smiled, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Well, you have all the time in the world to get used to it." She smiled and leaned her head into his chest as she sighed, trying to let go of this night.

They were broken out of the calm that had overcome them when Sami's phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and froze. It was Daniel Bryan. With the Superstar Shake-Up happening, this really only meant one thing. Charlotte had noticed his rigid state and glanced over. He watched her pale and throw her walls up immediately. Her face became an emotionless mask and she sat ramrod straight on the doctor's bench. "You better answer your phone."

Sami just nodded dumbly. "I'll… I'll be right back, I guess." He stepped out into the hallway, feeling like he was going to throw up, but he swallowed it down and answered. "Hello?"

"Sami! Great news! We got you a contract over here and they've agreed to trade you to Smackdown Live! Isn't that great?" Bryan sounded ecstatic over the phone and in any other circumstance Sami would share his joy, but there was a platinum blonde in the next room that had his heart and that was going to present a problem.

"I… yeah that's great, Daniel."

"You sound weird, what's up? I thought you'd be pumped for this!"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Well, my girlfriend got beat up tonight and now I have to tell her I'm leaving to Smackdown, right after I told her that I'd be there for her. So, this sucks a lot more than I was hoping it would."

"You're with Charlotte, right?"

Sami nodded, and then shook his head knowing Bryan couldn't see him. "Yeah. I know we don't talk about it in public much, but we've been dating for a while. I love her."

He faintly heard a woman, most likely Brie, 'aww' in the background, but ignored it in favor of hearing Bryan out. It sounded like there were papers rustling. "Well, Sami, it does suck less. I called you first because I've wanted you on Smackdown since the beginning, but Charlotte is being offered a Smackdown contract as well."

Sami perked up. "Really?"

"She's the best women's wrestler RAW has and I want to see her match up against our Smackdown roster. She was a no-brainer. Plus, I knew you guys were together. Don't sound so skeptical, I can be thoughtful."

"You're the best Bryan. I'll tell her, if you don't mind?"

"Go ahead. I hope to see you both on Tuesday."

Sami hung up and smiled to himself. This was great news and now he just needed to tell Charlotte. He stepped back through the door and was confronted, not with Charlotte, but with The Queen. She was unflappable with no emotions. Her posture was exquisite, but under that straight spine was the girl he loved with all his heart who was scared and curling up inside with the thought of being separated.

"So, that was Daniel. I've been offered a contract on Smackdown."

Charlotte nodded, having expected that. "It sounds like a wonderful opportunity for you. You should take it."

"I'm planning on it." And he watched Charlotte flinch. "But, Daniel also told me that they were planning on calling you too. Charlotte, we can go together!" He smiled, waiting for the grip of The Queen to loosen and for Charlotte to smile and kiss him, but it never came.

"No."

Sami blinked. "No what?"

"I'm not going to Smackdown."

He felt his heart drop. "But… but, Becky will be there, and I'll be there. They'll appreciate you and you'll have fresh matches… Charlotte, what's so wrong with this?"

The Queen stared back at him, unyielding. "I will not run away after I've been embarrassed by Nia Jax. It will show weakness, and I refuse to allow others to think I'm weak."

And the sad part of that was that Sami understood. Charlotte, while being the dirtiest player in the game, was full of sportsman's pride and refused to back down from a fight or challenge. Nia was that new mountain to climb and Sami understood that struggle and the wish to overcome.

"This is not a retreat, Charlotte." His firm voice seemed to startle her. "You aren't running away, and if Nia thinks that's what you are doing then she's foolish and you'll take advantage of that in your next meeting. What more do you truly have to accomplish here? You were the champion five times. You are the best. Now, you'll have new people to face and better yourself against. You do not get to take the easy way out and remain a big fish in this pond where you've proved yourself over and over again." That seemed to take affect as The Queen shifted slightly in her seat. Charlotte didn't like easy. She wanted challenges and things to conquer.

"Do I want you to come with me for selfish reasons? Of course, but this will be good for you Charlotte. Being around Becky again after you two have made up, while being able to finally challenge yourself, become a six-time champion by taking your first Smackdown women's belt. This is good news. Please don't pass it up in some weird sense of vengeance. Go over there, conquer a new kingdom, and show Nia that you are just as good as you always were when you pinned her at WrestleMania."

The Queen seemed to recede little by little and Charlotte poked through. "You'll be with me?" Her voice sounded so small and fragile and Sami knew that she was completely back.

"Always."

She wraps her arms around him in a strong hug that he can't help but return. He felt her face bury into his neck and she sighed, letting all the tension fall out of her shoulder. After a moment she pushed away and stood herself up. "It looks like we're going to Smackdown," She gave Sami a content look, "together." She brushed herself off and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Thank you for saying all that. I don't know where my head would be at without you."

"Of course." He grinned down at her. "I'm always here to save you from anyone, even your own butthead self."

Charlotte took a moment to seem offended, but her mouth quirked up in a smile. "I can't believe you called me a butthead. I don't think anybody has called me a that since middle school."

Sami grinned, leaning forward to kiss her. "Maybe not to your face."

Charlotte giggled and took his hand leading him down to her dressing room to pack their stuff. This Charlotte, the giggling madly in love one was what Sami could never get enough of. This is the woman whom he would take to Smackdown Live and watch as she dominated that division like she had this one. And seeing her around somebody else that loved her was going to be a treat because it meant more of Charlotte and less of The Queen. Smackdown Live would be a place where they would flourish together, both professionally and personally, and they'd be happy. And Charlotte's happiness, their happiness, meant the world to Sami. Smackdown Live was more than just a new kingdom to conquer, it was their future, and the future looked bright.


End file.
